Who Says 13 is Unlucky
by Timothy D
Summary: A commission for my good friend, Creshosk. For most, their 13 birthday represents the next step in life. It marks the time when you become more than just a mere kid. For others, it is a symbol of your last dance with childhood innocence. However, who’s to say that your 13th birthday is all bad?


For most people, their thirteenth birthday was the second most important birthday of their life after their sixteenth. To some, it represented them growing up to become a better person; to others, it meant that the end of "kiddy stuff" and moving on to more "mature" means of fun. Others were eager at the fact they could finally watch those sacred PG-13 movies their parents wouldn't allow them to watch for so long while some simply looked forward to growing taller and further developing. There were a few who feared their 13th birthday, viewing it as being the end of their childhood fun where they now had to be more mature and leave behind the pastimes they enjoyed so much or else risk being teased and ostracized by their peers. To say that the thirteen birthday meant many different things for people would be an understatement. You either looked forward to it or you feared it, rarely ever was there a middle ground.

For Chris Taylor Jr, the thing he was looking forward to the most was spending time with his family and friends. Sure, he loved the fact that for one day, the world essentially revolved around him, but that meant next to nothing if he couldn't spend that day surrounded by the ones he cared about the most. And for Chris, there was one person in particular he was looking forward to seeing: his best and closest friend in the world: Lynn Loud Jr. It had been almost ten years since they'd first struck up their friendship and in the time since, the two had become almost inseparable. Who would've thought that a lonely Valentines' Day would lead to a bond even more unbreakable than diamond? The two of them got along like a house on fire and while both loved to tease each other, it was all in good fun and their way of displaying their affection for one another. The two were so close that their family and friends joked it was only a matter before they were walking down the aisle with each other. Of course, if you asked Chris and Lynn themselves, they would insist until they were blue in the face that there was nothing of that sort going on between them.

Needless to say, Lynn was one of the first people that Chris had invited to his party. That subsequently meant that Lynn's family was invited as well. Not that Chris minded as he quite enjoyed the Loud Family's company, having taken a liking to all of their quirks and unique personalities and finding them to be quite fun to have around. The party was already shaping up to be rather large even before Chris had allowed each guest to bring a plus one of their choosing if they so wished. Chris didn't know how that factor would play out, but one thing he knew for certain was that this party was sure to not have a dull moment. It was going to be a birthday that he never ever forgot, he was sure of that. He had no way of knowing that this birthday would be the most important birthday of his young life.

While Chris could've chosen to have his birthday anywhere, for this event, he wanted to keep things simple. He, his family, and the Louds were already set to take a trip to Disneyland for Christmas about two weeks after his birthday so there was no need to be extravagant for this. No, a simple birthday party at his house in Royal Woods would be suffice. There were still a few days until his birthday rolled around, but Chris was itching with anticipation while simultaneously being nervous and anxious. While he couldn't wait to see his family and friends in one place again, he also couldn't shake the fear that something could go terribly wrong. Chris did his best to brush those fears aside, assuring himself that nothing would happen and that everything would turn out great.

In order to make sure that the party would be enjoyable for all, Chris meticulously planned out every little detail for the party. What games would be played, the food and drinks that will be served, what type of cake there'd be, the whole nine yards. Sure, it was his day, but what good does that mean if no one else was having fun? This party was just as much for them as it was for him. When his birthday finally rolled around, Chris was sure that he was all ready to go and that everything was just right. Chris was in the game room, finishing setting up his Nintendo Switch when he heard a knock at the door, signaling the arrival of his first guest.

"I've got it!" Chris said as opened the door to reveal his cousin, Sid and her plus one friend of Ronnie Anne. "Hey Sid, long time, no-," That was as far as Chris got before Sid glomped him in a tight hug.

"Happy Birthday!" Sid exclaimed, picking Chris up before putting him back down. "What is it, your 13th? Or is it your 14th? I always get so confused and mixed up." Sid then gestured to Ronnie Anne and asked "You remember Ronnie Anne, right?"

"Hey there," Ronnie Anne greeted him as Chris smiled.

"How could I forget?" Chris chuckled. "Last time we met, you got her to show me some of her skate tricks and tried to convince me to give it a shot."

"To be fair, your form was good," Ronnie Anne said. "It's just that your balancing needed a little work." Ronnie Anne then looked around and said "So it looks like we're the first ones here, huh?"

"Yep," Chris said. "Hopefully everyone else should be getting here soon."

"Looking forward to seeing Lincoln again, are we?" Sid teased.

"Yeah right," Ronnie Anne scoffed. "Why would I be interested in seeing that lame-o?"

"Because you wouldn't stop talking about him on the car ride here," Sid laughed.

"That doesn't mean anything!" Ronnie Anne insisted, trying to hide the flustered look on her face.

"How cute," Chris thought to himself before asking Sid "So where's Adelaide? And your parents?"

"They're coming," Sid said. "You remember Ronnie Anne's brother's girlfriend, right?"

"You mean Lori?" Chris asked.

"Yeah," Sid said before Ronnie Anne explained "Since they haven't seen each other in so long, Bobby wanted to meet up with her before heading to the party."

"So my parents dropped us off here before taking him to see her first" Sid said before pulling a small box from behind her back and handing it to Chris. "Here's your present by the way, I hope you like it."

"What is it?" Chris asked.

"Why don't you open it up and see?" Sid said with a teasing smile. Chris did just that and opened the box to reveal Kirby and Link amiibo figures. "I know you like Smash, but I couldn't remember which ones were your favorite so I got you those two."

"Wow, thanks!" Chris said, picking up the amiibo figures to take a closer look at them. They'd be great additions to his collection. "I love them!"

"We're glad you like them," Ronnie Anne said. "Not to toot my own horn, but I helped Sid pick them out."

"Yeah, I kinda got distracted by other stuff," Sid admitted, rubbing the back of her neck as she walked into the game room. "Hey Ronnie Anne, what do you say we play a game of Uno?"

"That sounds great," Ronnie Anne said. "You wanna join us, Chris?"

"Sure," Chris said, joining the girls and shuffling the cards for them before dealing each of them 7 cards.

The trio were halfway through the game, with Ronnie Anne holding the advantage when there was another knock at the door. This time, Chris' father Crash did the duty of answering the door so as not to interrupt his son's game. A few seconds later, Chris, Ronnie Anne, and Sid were joined by Lincoln and Clyde.

"Happy birthday, Chris," The Boys said with Lincoln handing him a small box and saying "I got a little something for you that I hope you like."

"Thanks," Chris said, accepting the gift. "You guys got here quickly"

"Yeah, Clyde was kinda giving Bobby the evil eye when he showed up at our house and started talking to Lori so we figured it'd be best if we head here," Lincoln explained.

"I can't help it," Clyde said. "How could Bobby go and mess with another man's woman after leaving her behind for so long?"

"Clyde… you're 11," Ronnie Anne pointed out. "Even if my brother weren't in the picture, you still wouldn't have a chance."

"Speaking of siblings, where are yours?" Chris asked curiously.

"They're a little busy," Lincoln said, smirking at Chris and teasing "Don't worry, I'm sure Lynn will be here any second now."

"I hope so," Chris said. "I mean, not that your other siblings aren't cool or anything, I'm not saying that. I just mean it wouldn't be a party without her-,"

"Don't worry, I know what you mean," Lincoln assured him.

"You know Chris, sometimes I forget just how much you like Lynn," Sid said. "Maybe you should try asking her out sometime." She added before nudging Ronnie Anne with her elbow. "Much like my friend here should try asking a certain someone."

"Oh please, why would I ever ask out a loser like Lincoln?" Ronnie Anne retorted.

"What makes you think that I'd go out with a geek like you?" Lincoln playfully shot back.

"I love how your first interactions with each other is to insult each other," Clyde observed.

"I like how I didn't even mention Lincoln by name yet Ronnie Anne assumed I was talking about him," Sid said.

"They totally like each other," Clyde said.

"Big time," Sid agreed, she and Clyde sharing a fist bump.

"Shut up!" Ronnie Anne and Lincoln said in stereo with Ronnie forcing Sid to draw 4 cards for her remark, prompting Sid to reply with a "Dangit!"

"Yeah guys, I've got to agree with them," Chris said, teasing Lincoln and Clyde by saying "It's clear that Lincoln has his eyes on someone else…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lincoln and Clyde asked.

"And as for Ronnie Anne, I'm pretty sure Sid has already claimed her as her own," Chris teased.

"I have not!" Sid said, hitting Chris with a plus 2 card.

"Sheesh, can't take a joke, can we?" Chris said as he drew his two cards.

"Your joke wasn't very funny," Sid said.

"I think it was funny," Clyde said. "Honestly putting Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, and Sid together as a sitcom family with Sid as Linc and Ronnie's adopted daughter would be TV gold."

"The only question is who would wear the pants in that relationship?" Chris asked.

"Obviously me," Ronnie Anne said, throwing out her next card. "I mean, who do you think would be the one keeping the other two from getting into trouble."

"Wait, why am I the adopted daughter?" Sid complained, pointing out to Lincoln and Ronnie Anne "I'm like a year older than both of you!"

"Quiet Sid, Mommy and Daddy are talking," Lincoln said, getting laughter out of everyone except Sid.

There was another knock at the door and Chris briefly interrupted the game to go and answer it. When he did, he was greeted by Lincoln's brother, Lio and his plus one guest of Kat.

"Happy birthday Aniki!" Lio greeted him, giving Chris a huge hug.

"Thank you," Chris said as Lio handed him his gift.

"So… 13 years old?" Kat asked, joking "Are you starting to feel old yet?"

"My age is kind of catching up to me," Chris laughed. "I find I can't move like I used to."

"Now you wanna talk about oblivious lovebirds, you have the poster child right there," Lincoln teased Lio and Kat.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Lio and Kat replied in stereo.

"They even complete each other's sentences, how cute," Sid cooed.

"Ronnie, Linc, please control your child," Lio joked.

"See? Even Lio sees the chemistry between you guys!" Clyde said with a laugh.

"Wait a second, I thought we said that Lincoln and Clyde were the OTP," Kat chimed in, causing Clyde to grow silent.

"Why does everyone ship Clyde and I?" Lincoln asked.

"Hey, you guys started it," Lio said with a shrug before turning to Chris. "So, how does it feel being 13 now?"

"I dunno," Chris said with a shrug, joking "I guess I'm kinda bummed that I'm now too old to join Kids Next Door."

"Look on the bright side, at least you're old enough to watch PG-13 movies now," Kat pointed out.

"Couldn't he do that anyway?" Ronnie Anne asked.

"I mean, he could, but usually you have to bribe the ticket seller," Kat said.

"Fair enough," Ronnie Anne said.

"To be fair, usually Lynn covers for me whenever we go out to see a movie," Chris said, causing all eyes to fall on him.

Lincoln and Lio both placed an arm around Chris, with Lincoln teasing Chris back from earlier by asking "So… Chris? When are you and Lynn going to come clean ?"

"Come clean about what?" Chris asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Lio asked. "I mean, everyone can see that Lincoln and Ronnie aren't the only secret lovebirds."

"Yes, clearly that distinction goes to you and Kat as well," Lincoln shot back, "but that's neither here nor there. The focus is on you, Christopher."

"Why is that?" Chris asked, growing a bit nervous by what the twins were saying.

"Because Aniki, Lincoln and I just want to make sure that you take good care of our sister," Lio said. "I mean, after all we know that she's taken such good care of you…"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Chris said, starting to blush.

"Come on Chris, we're all friends here," Lincoln said. "You can tell us anything…"

"So are we just going to sit around and talk about what supposed relationships we're all in?" Sid asked before throwing down a card and declaring "UNO!"

"We're just having a little fun," Lincoln said before pretending to be a tough guy and saying "And making sure that Chris here doesn't plan on breaking our sister's heart."

"Come on Linc, have some faith in Aniki," Lio said. "He's the last person who would ever be so stupid as to break Lynn's heart."

"Mostly because we'd have to be dating in order for me to do that," Chris pointed out.

"No offense, Chris, but the only thing keeping you and Lynn from being an official couple is you the two of you having matching shirts reading "Boyfriend" and "Girlfriend"," Lincoln said.

"But in all seriousness though, we can tell that you and Lynn make each other happy," Lio said, easing up on the teasing in case he was making Chris uncomfortable. "Honestly, I'm just glad that you were there for her when she needed someone."

"To be fair, she was there for me first when I had nobody," Chris said, fondly looking back on his and Lynn's first meeting. "It's only fair that I return the favor by being there for her whenever she needed."

"Wow, this is getting way mushier than I expected," Kat said.

"Same," Ronnie Anne said, cursing under her breath at the fact she didn't have a plus 4 or draw 2 card that she could use to stop Sid from winning.

"You think this is mushy now, just wait until my sister and your brother get here," Lincoln said.

"Oh yeah, bleh!" Ronnie Anne gagged. "No offense Linc, but your sister is just so lovey dovey it's like watching a cheesy made for TV romance movie."

"Like your brother is any better," Lincoln argued before mimicking Bobby "Oh Lori, I can't stand being apart from you for so long babe. You're the girl of my dreams."

"He didn't become that way until your sister came into the picture," Ronnie Anne shot back.

"Oh my gosh, just kiss already!" Sid and Clyde both shouted.

"Why don't you two kiss instead?" Ronnie and Lincoln retorted.

"Sorry, but Clyde isn't my type," Sid said. "He's cute, but not my type."

"Did you just say I'm cute?" Clyde asked.

"Don't let it go to your head," Sid said. "Besides, I have my eyes on only one man and his name is Yoon Kwan!" Sid then threw out her last card and declared "Oh yeah! I won!", doing a happy little dance as she did so.

"By the way, what's taking your sisters so long to get here?" Ronnie Anne asked Lincoln.

"Some of them are picking up their plus one," Lincoln explained.

"As for Lynn, she's working on a special gift for the birthday boy," Lio added.

"Special gift?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You are her best friend," Lincoln pointed out. "She wanted to make sure today was absolutely special."

There was another knock at the door and when Chris went to answer it, he was greeted by Leni, who was holding a glittery bright blue bag in her hands.

"Happy Birthday, Clark!" Leni said cheerfully.

"It's… Chris," Chris corrected her. Leni always did have some trouble remembering his name. "But thank you."

"Really?" Leni asked. "I always thought it was Chase." Leni then handed Chris the bag and said "Anyway, happy birthday! I hope you like your gift."

"Thanks Leni," Chris said, taking a peek inside the bag.

"I got you the most essential moisturizers and facial creams," Leni said. "It'll make sure your skin is as soft as a baby's bottom. Oh, and I got you some special shampoo and even some hair dye."

"Well, I have been looking to make my hair shinier and more radiant," Chris said. "But why the hair dye"

"Oh, Lynn told me that you wanted to try out some blue frosted tips so I thought the dye would help with that," Leni said cheerfully as she walked inside.

"Welcome to the party," Chris said. "Lincoln, Lio, Clyde, Kat, Ronnie Anne, Sid and I were chilling in the game room. If you like, you could join us for a game of Uno."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Leni politely declined. "Nothing personal, but after losing so many games to Lynn… in fact, losing every game to Lynn, I'm kinda Uno'd out."

"Fair enough," Chris said. "Well, we have a TV that you can watch while the rest of us play if you'd like."

"Thanks," Leni said. "I've been meaning to catch up on a few shows anyway."

"Who's in on this next game?" Sid asked.

"I'm all in!" Lincoln and Clyde said, taking a seat at the table.

"I guess I'll play too," Kat said, asking Lio. "You want in on this, Rohan?"

"I'm good," Lio said. "I'll just provide commentary, make things a little more interesting."

Shortly after Leni's arrival, there was another knock at the door. When Chris opened it, he was licked in the face by Lana's plus one guest of Hops.

"Looks like Hops wants to wish you a happy birthday," Lana laughed as Hops let out a croak. "Whoa, Hops, no need to get political."

"That comment aside, tell Hops that I said thank you," Chris said as Lana handed him his gift.

"You're welcome," Lana said. "Hope you don't mind, but Hops and I are going to head out into the backyard to play in the snow."

"Don't mind at all," Chris said, stepping aside and gesturing to the backyard. "Knock yourselves out."

Chris returned to the others and joined Lio in watching as Lincoln, Clyde, Ronnie Anne, Sid, and Kat all played a rousing game of Uno. Despite the teasing, Chris couldn't deny that he was curious as to the whereabouts of Lynn. Normally, she would've been the first person to arrive at an event like this. Not just because of her and Chris' close friendship, but because of her competitive nature driving her to be the first to show up. Chris was hoping that she was alright and that he hadn't done anything to upset her. He wondered what was taking her so long. He also wondered what was the "special gift" Lio said she had gotten for him.

"Hello Chris, earth to Chris," Lincoln said, snapping his fingers to break Chris out of his trance.

"Huh?" Chris responded, shaking his head.

"Are you alright, man?" Lincoln asked. "You kind of just zoned out there for a while."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Chris said. "Just got lost for a while."

"I can tell," Kat said. "You looked a bit like Rohan here whenever he gets concentrated on his drawing."

"It was nothing, I just got caught up daydreaming," Chris said.

"Daydreaming about a certain someone?" Lincoln asked slyly.

Ronnie Anne and Sid whispered something to each other that the others couldn't distinguish. Chris chose to ignore whatever they were talking about but could only assume that they'd made a comment about him and Lynn as well.

"Sounds like he's been Living in a Dream about Lynn," Luna commented, she and Sam as well as Luan and Benny arrived to the party.

"Happy Anniversary of your Conception Day!" Sam greeted Chris.

"Thank you," Chris said with a smile.

"I've clowned at a lot of birthday parties, but they don't hold a candle to this one," Luan joked, prompting Benny to join in with a "Yeah, I've got to agree that this party takes the cake!"

"It takes someone truly gifted to throw a party like this," Lio played along, prompting the other guests to moan while Luan, Benny, and Lio all looked to Chris, expecting him to make a pun.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, but things will really kick off once everyone is present," Chris obliged them, resulting in one final groan from everyone else.

"You know, I think I'm just going to go back outside," Lana said, having come inside to warm up before heading back out.

There was another knock at the door, prompting Chris to get up and answer it. By this point, he was hoping that it was Lynn, having started to grow worried about her. What if she had been picking up her "plus one" and that was the reason she was late? Who could that extra person be? Francisco or maybe that Margo girl?

"Listen to me, I'm starting to sound like a jealous lover," Chris said to himself. "So what if Lynn brings someone else? It's not like we're dating or anything." Chris could just hear either Lincoln or Lio playfully teasing him by saying "But you wish you were" as he tried to push his doubts out of his head.

"Even if Lynn does bring someone else, it doesn't mean anything," Chris said to himself as he stood at the door. "The two of us are still best friends."

Chris got his wish when he opened the door to find none other than Lynn. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at the fact that she was alone. However, one thing he did notice was the fact that she seemed midway through stuffing something in her jacket as she stood at the door before she looked up and noticed Chris.

"Oh… hey there dorkface!" Lynn said, chuckling nervously as she tried to play it cool.

"Now is that any way to greet the birthday boy?" Chris teases her.

"Fine, happy birthday dorkface!" Lynn said, giving Chris a noogie. "You're finally old enough to sit at the big kids table, are you happy?"

"Yes," Chris answered. "But can I still have my dinosaur nuggets?"

"My god, you can be such a dweeb," Lynn said with a laugh as Chris welcomed her inside.

"Maybe so, but I'm your dweeb," Chris said as the two walked into the game room.

"I'd make a joke about you and Lynn being an item, but I feel I'd be in dweeb trouble," Luan remarked, prompting Lynn to shoot her a death glare which she promptly shrugged off.

"So did you have something for me?" Chris asked Lynn.

"What, my presence isn't good enough for you?" Lynn joked.

"What? No? Of course I'm not saying that!" Chris said, growing flustered.

"Calm down, I'm just messing with you," Lynn told him, giving him a pat on the head. "I could never forget to get you something for your birthday."

"I only asked because I noticed you were stuffing something in your jacket when I answered the door and-," Chris said, causing Lio to raise an eyebrow at Lynn.

"Oh, that was nothing," Lynn insisted. "I was just adjusting me jersey underneath my jacket is all."

"Oh, alright, I understand," Chris said, not completely buying Lynn's account. "If I'm being truthful, I don't care if you got me anything or not. As long as you're here, this is the best birthday I could ask for.

"Awwwwww," all the girls said as Lynn blushed profusely.

"Stop being so sappy," Lynn said, trying to hide her red face. "See, this is why people think we're dating. Why do you do this?"

"Maybe so I can see you get that adorable look on your face where you just pout like a kid," Chris teased.

"I don't look like a kid!" Lynn insisted, crossing her arms.

"Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," Chris said. "If you'd like, you can always beat me in Smash Bros to blow off some steam."

"Well, well, well, aren't we the masochistic one?" Lynn bantered. "Fine, you're on; but I don't want any excuses after I beat you like saying your controller glitched or the game lagged or some other nonsense."

"I swear that the controller screwed me over last time!" Chris said. "You got lucky!"

"Hey, mind if I get in on this?" Lincoln asked. "After all, the Birthday Boy is supposed to get birthday punches, but a loss in Smash will work just as well."

"Ha! Good luck!" Lynn said. "You may have put more hours into this game, but I'm the undisputed queen of Smash!"

"Care to put your supposed crown on the line?" Ronnie Anne asked, grabbing the fourth controller.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a free for all," Kat mentioned, asking Lio. "Who do you think will win?"

"Lynn," Lio answered without even having to think.

"Seriously Lio, you can't even have faith in your own brother?" Lincoln replied.

"Sorry Linc, but the smart money is to always bet on Lynn," Lio defended his actions.

"See Stincoln, why can't you be smart like our brother?" Lynn said as she selected her character.

"He can't be too smart if he isn't betting on the true winner of this game," Ronnie Anne said.

"Thanks for sticking up for me, loser," Lincoln said.

"I was talking about me, dummy" Ronnie Anne replied. "You don't stand a chance of beating me. None of you do."

As the game commenced, more of the guests arrived. Lori and Bobby were first, followed by Lisa and Darcy, then Lola, Lucy, and Adelaide. As you can imagine, things quickly became rather Loud, with Chris, Lynn, Lincoln, and Ronnie Anne being intensely focused on their game. Lola, Lucy, Lana, and Adelaide all went outside to build a snowman (or in Lucy's case a snow demon) while the others watched intently to see who won. Chris was the first to be knocked out of the game, followed shortly afterwards by Lincoln. That left it down to just Lynn and Ronnie Anne, with Chris and Lincoln respectively cheering them on.

"You've got this Lynn," Chris cheered Lynn on. "Just keep an eye out for her down B and victory will be yours!"

"Don't worry, I'm just toying with her now," Lynn said confidently.

"I'd advise you to take me a little more seriously," Ronnie Anne said, coming close to knocking Lynn's character off screen. "Otherwise, that may happen.

"Come on, Ronnie Anne, you can't let her win!" Lincoln cheered her on.

"Wha? But I thought you said I was a loser," Ronnie Anne said mockingly.

"Listen, I take back everything I said as long you beat Lynn," Lincoln told her. "Lynn cannot be allowed to win."

"Aww, Linc, that's no way to treat your sister," Lynn said before she knocked Ronnie Anne's character off screen, depleting her of her last stock and winning the game. "Not that it matters anyway, Lynn Loud still undefeated!"

"You know what, I don't take it back," Lincoln said to Ronnie Anne. "You are a loser."

"Coming from the guy who got knocked out second?" Ronnie Anne retorted. "Oh Lincoln, that's rich."

"Then what do you say to a 1v1 game?" Lincoln proposed.

"Bring it on," Ronnie accepted. "I can't wait to send you crying home to mama"

"You two feel free to fight amongst yourself for the silver metal, I'm going to go grab a pizza," Lynn said, excusing herself.

"I think I'll do the same," Lio said, following after Lynn.

"Need me to come with?" Both Chris and Kat asked their respective Louds.

"Nah/Not this time," Lynn and Lio replied with Lio whispering to Kat "This is a family matter."

That caught Chris' attention and while the last thing he wanted to do was invade Lynn's privacy, he had a feeling this family conversation was about him. Unable to contain his curiosity, Chris excused himself under the excuse that he had to use the bathroom and followed Lio and Lynn to the kitchen, staying out of sight as he eavesdropped on their conversation.

"So what happened to the plan?" Lio asked Lynn. "Why didn't you give him the shirt?"

"I can't do it," Chris heard Lynn say. "I wanted to go through with it, but I just couldn't!"

"Why not?" Lio asked.

"What if he doesn't like it?" Lynn asked. "What if he doesn't like me? What if this just makes things awkward between us?"

"So you think Chris doesn't like you?" Lio asked, having to suppress a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Lynn asked.

"I can't believe you're doubting yourself," Lio said. "Do you honestly think Chris doesn't feel the same way about you that you feel about him?"

"I dunno, maybe" Lynn said, looking down at her feet.

"Trust me when I say this, he likes you," Lio told her.

"Well, yeah he likes me, but…" Lynn started to say.

"If you have doubts on if he likes you the way you like him, don't," Lio said. "Believe me, anyone who blushes the way he does whenever we mention you has to have some feelings for you."

"How do you know he wasn't blushing in embarrassment from being associated with me?" Lynn asked.

"Because… it's the same kind of blush I get when I'm around Kat," Lio answered. "It's the same type of blushing that Lincoln does when he talks about Ronnie Anne. When we tease him about Ronnie Anne."

"Do you really think that he likes me back?" Lynn asked.

"I'm sure of it," Lio said. "Without a shadow of a doubt."

"Hmm…" Lynn murmured, thinking to herself.

"If you're not going to give him the shirt now, then when are you?" Lio asked. "When are you going to tell him how you feel?"

"I can't give him the shirt now," Lynn said. "Not in front of everyone else on his day. I feel like I'd be taking the attention away from him."

"Then when are you going to do it?" Lio asked.

"Christmas," Lynn said. "It'll be my Christmas gift to him and if he says he feels the same way,"

"When," Lio corrected her.

"Maybe we can go from there," Lynn said, grabbing a slice of pepperoni pizza and taking a bite out of it.

"You've got to take the first step first," Lio pointed out.

"If I were you, I'd take my own advice," Lynn retorted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lio asked.

Lynn laughed and said "You're smart enough to figure it out."

Chris couldn't believe what he was hearing. So Lynn really did like him back. For the longest time, he'd been grappling with his own feelings for the athlete out of fear he'd make her uncomfortable and drive her away. But to hear that she really did harbor feelings for him meant more than any gift could ever mean. Of course, he couldn't let Lynn know that he'd eavesdropped on her, but this did give him something to look forward to in two weeks time when Christmas rolled around. With a smile on his face, Chris returned to the game room where Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were still in their round of Smash, Lincoln playing as Link and Ronnie Anne playing as Samus.

"So, what'd I miss?" Chris asked, taking a seat by the TV.

"You're just in time to witness my victory," Ronnie Anne said triumphantly, on the verge of victory.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch," Lincoln said, trying to dodge her attacks.

"Lincoln, you've got 143% damage while I've only got 52%," Ronnie Anne pointed out.

"Yeah, but we've both only got one life remaining," Lincoln said, taking a bit more damage while taking some of his own.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ronnie Anne asked.

"This!" Lincoln said before Link grabbed Samus and jumped off the stage. "If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me!"

"Lincoln, you little snot!" Ronnie Anne cursed him as both of their characters plummeted into a pit, ending the game in a draw. "That was such a cheap trick!"

"Maybe so, but I kept my word of making sure you didn't beat me," Lincoln said, smiling smugly.

"Maybe not in the game…" Ronnie Anne said, smirking at Lincoln.

"Uh oh," Lincoln said before getting up and running with Ronnie Anne giving chase.

"Whoa, what is going on here?" Lio asked, barely avoiding getting trampled by a fleeing Lincoln.

"Your brother cheated, that's what happened," Sid filled him in.

"It wasn't cheating, it was simply pragmatism," Lincoln tried to defend himself.

"Sorry Linc, but that was definitely cheating," Lucy spoke up.

"Ahhh," Lio said as Lynn rejoined everyone as well.

"Hey, does anyone mind if I play some tunes?" Luna asked.

"Not at all," Chris said with everyone nodding in agreement.

"Do you know any K-pop songs?" Sid asked.

"Meh, J-pop is better," Lio muttered under his breath, causing Ronnie Anne to stop dead in her tracks

"Lincoln, control your brother," Ronnie Anne said.

"What did that son of a chef just say?" Sid asked, glaring in Lio's direction, causing the latter to shriek and leap behind Kat for protection.

"Hold on, Sid," Chris said. "There shall be no fighting at my party."

"I'm sorry cousin Chris, but an insult to K-pop is an insult to Twelve is Midnight and an insult to Twelve is Midnight is an insult to Yoon Kwan!" Sid said, sounding ready to take up a sword and duel Lio to the death. "I must defend the honor of Yoon Kwan!"

"Well the console is set up so there's only one option to settle this conflict," Lynn said before Lola hammed it by yelling "SETTLE IT… IN SMASH!"

"Yare yare daze," Lio muttered.

"It's either that or fight off a crazed K-pop fan," Lisa pointed out.

"Nah, Sid wouldn't hurt a fly," Ronnie Anne assured them.

"Yeah, I wouldn't actually hurt you," Sid said. "Still, this grave insult cannot be allowed to go unpunished!"

"Well… guess I have no other choice," Lio said, sitting down in front of the TV as Sid picked up a controller.

"Don't worry, Lio, I've got your back," Kat said, sitting down next to Lio and reaching for a controller.

"I suppose I'll get in on this as well," Clyde said, grabbing a controller.

Coincidentally, both Lio and Kat reached for the same controller, causing them to briefly touch hands, resulting in the two of them blushing. Observing from nearby, Lynn wondered if this was the type of blushing Lio was talking about and decided to test the theory by "accidentally" grabbing hold of Chris' hand. Just as she hoped, Chris' face lit up bright red and it matched the blush displayed on both Lio's and Kat's faces.

"Um… Lynn, I…" Chris stammered.

"Oh, sorry," Lynn apologized, I was just trying to reach in my pocket to give you your gift. From her hand, she pulled out a small jewelry box. Chris opened it up to find a championship ring.

"You're giving me your Junior Varsity Championship ring?" Chris asked. "But this means everything to you. You said it was your good luck charm."

"Keyword being "was"," Lynn retorted. "Ever since you came into my life, I've had all the luck I ever need."

"What was that you said earlier about me being too sappy?" Chris asked as he gave Lynn a hug.

"Happy birthday dork face," Lynn told him one more time.

"Thanks," Chris said. "You've made this birthday one I'll never forget."


End file.
